With the introduction of the Quantum class of ships in 2013, the two story TWO70 theater and observation deck took ocean viewing to another level. Fully enclosed and temperature controlled, it provides 270 degree views of the surrounding ocean, optimized for trips to colder climates with great ocean views (e.g. Alaska). It also has a cafe for light dining and surround seating for a night-time theater experience. My wife and I had a chance to visit it during our 4 night cruise from LA on the Quantum of the Seas, and found it to be really enjoyable place for both sandwiches and a nighttime show.
To get the multi-media theater experience, we booked a complementary reservation for the first performance on the cruise of Starwater, an original song and dance 50 minute show. Reservations were accepted but were not enforced since it was not sold out.
It was a 6:30 pm show. The seating is dinner theater Las Vegas style on the main floor (a lot of tables for parties of 2 - 8). We ended up on the balcony, finding nice comfortable seats on row 2, behind folks who I think were also performers on the ship. It started right on time, with dancing based on the Madonna song: Vogue. It went on for a bit, with six men and six women (dressed very formally) constantly striking a 'pose'. The music switched to 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', but kept the 'strike a pose'. I was afraid the entire show would be about that. But then it switched, focusing on the songs being played, with dancing and solo vocal performances matching. One of the big features of the space are 6 100 inch LED roboscreens, and they were used throughout the performance.
Next a powerful vocalist in a wedding dress that had a train that was so large (reminded me of the parachute game we played in grade school where we would undulate a parachute to get balls on the parachute to go somewhere). The first song was a version of 'Diamonds Are Forever', which immediately got my attention. Then 'Diamonds' by Rhianna. There was a lot of levitating (she was in a harness), with some aerial acrobatics with the dancers. Then they switched over to Adele's version of 'Skyfall'. I wondered if RC has the rights to James Bond theme songs, since other performances have used other JB themes. Next was the Bill Wither's 'Ain't No Sunshine' (remembered from Notting Hill). Then Michael Bufle's 'Feeling Good', song as a duet. Throughout, a lot of modern dance was performed.
It moved to a tango performance, with a very different version of the Police song 'Roxanne'. It lasted the whole 50 minutes non-stop with constant switching. I didn't know the last two songs, but it ended with a roaring 20's type of costumes. There was some front row audience participation with constant high-fiving. The show ended exactly at 7:20. For the curtain call, I noticed there was 15 performers, including 3 singers. It was a solid, original show.
Later during the trip, I stopped by for a mid-day snack at the cafe. It has the same menu as the newer Central Park cafe on the newer class of boats. The central focus is hand carved roast beef for beef and weck sandwiches. It also had two soups, along with hand pressed sandwiches. However, as the first time for me, it used thin pita breads and it was a game changer. The cuban sandwich was quite good, mainly because it had been heated all the way through. One thing I forgot to ask was if they had bagged potato chips like they do at Central Park cafe. read more